Share this:

Colleague and buddy Nancy Gay got Denise DeBartolo York’s take on the season in this morning’s Sporting Green. Among other things, the Yorks are considering hiring a strong general manager to try to put this Humpty-Dumpty organization back together again.

With the season such a sublime disappointment, it’s not surprising that ownership would consider changing the 49ers’ structure. What is surprising is that Nolan didn’t seem to know this was an option. Nolan, apparently, was blindsided by the news.

When asked if there had ever been a discussion of bringing in a general manager with John or Jed York, Nolan said, no.

In fact it appears that Nolan didn’t realize a GM was under discussion until he heard from Jed York this morning. “I spoke to Jed (York) today prior to me knowing (about the story),” Nolan said.

Nolan said he wouldn’t discuss whether he’d be amenable to such a change, which would probably necessitate an adjustment of responsibilities and a partially re-writing of his contract. Nolan’s in the third year of a five-year, $8 million deal.

Any question referring to a diminishing of his authority, Nolan said he wouldn’t discuss until season’s end.

The most glaring flaw of the 49ers’ organization is not the hiring of Jim Hostler, or the failure of Alex Smith or even the hiring of Nolan in the first place. It’s their lack of communication.

Nolan and Smith could have solved their problems easily if they had just talked to one another. They did have meetings before Smith said he didn’t appreciate the coach saying his shoulder wasn’t affecting his play when it was. Meetings are great, but communication can only happen if someone LISTENS while the other person is talking.

If listening and understanding had occurred Smith and Nolan wouldn’t have known about their tete-a-tete.

In the most recent case, Nolan wasn’t even informed that ownership was considering making structural changes, according to him.

Who can blame Denise DeBartolo York for wanting to make them? The season has been an utter fiasco and seems to be unraveling more every day. Fans are irate, want Nolan’s head on a stick and somebody should be telling the masses that something will be done. But first, you have to inform your head coach that he may be usurped.

Lack of communication sucks the morale out of any organization and that’s something we’ve consistently seen with the 49ers over the past several years.

It doesn’t matter if the 49ers hired Bill Polian as the general manager and made Vince Lombardi their head coach. Without the clear channels to say, hear and understand one another, they’re lost.

Here are the notes from another newsy day:

-Smith repeated what the organization said yesterday – he’ll rest for two weeks to let the scare tissue in his shoulder to stabilize. The time off should also allow tendinitis in his forearm to heal. Smith also said that he and Nolan are on the “same page” now and that Dr. James Andrews and the 49ers’ medical staff are in communication.

-New offensive assistant Ted Tollner said his presence doesn’t threatened anyone’s job. “My role will be very limited,” Tollner explained. First, he has to learn the 49ers offense, which should take about five minutes.

-Mike Singletary met with Baylor for a day-and-a-half about their new head-coaching position. He went to Baylor and two of his kids attend the University. It would be stunning if wasn’t he Baylor Bear once again very soon.